Death of the Liberal Class

By: Chris Hedges

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Chris Hedges examines the failure of the liberal class to confront the rise of the corporate state and the consequences of a liberalism that has become profoundly bankrupted. Hedges argues that there are five pillars of the liberal establishment and that each of these institutions has sold out the constituents it represented. In doing so, the liberal class has become irrelevant to society at large and ultimately the corporate power elite they once served.

"Insightful.... [Hedges] is an engaging writer, and his passion alone makes for a compelling read.... Offers those of us who dare to refer to ourselves as liberal a lot to think about.” ( Harvard Political Review)

©2010 Chris Hedges (P)2010 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Integrity-Can You Tell Me Where It's Gone?

Plato said that opinion is just the medium between ignorance and knowledge. For a while, I was almost singularly passionate about educating myself regarding politics - gaining knowledge - then I plum ran out of mental energy, and returned to the easy comfort of just having an opinion. Familiar with Truthdig, and having read War Is A Force...so many yrs. ago I've forgotten most of the content, I thought maybe Death of the Liberal Class might get me back into the quest. While I'll never be truly politically savvy, reading Death of the Liberal Class was my own little "intellectual effort" to move my opinion towards knowledge.

Call Hedges cynical, pessimistic, a bleak alarmist, whatever...but reasonably, you'd better add honest, passionate, globally intelligent, and a patriot. Yes, you can be "disobedient" and be a patriot. Howard Zinn wrote, "Historically, the most terrible things - war, genocide, and slavery- have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience."

Admittedly, this is a blood-boiling and sobering book, not fun to hear (quoting Hamilton's too-little-too-late Requiem for a Species...that's depressing stuff. At one point in "Camelot," Merlin says to King Arthur, "The uglier the truth, the truer the friend that tells it." a good reference point.) I don't agree with all of Hedges statements (perhaps I should, he is much more knowledgeable than I'll ever be), some of the long pieces of history are already well known therefore not as interesting as the rest of the book, and the structure was sometimes tangled, (and I wish I would have known enough to have read Empire of Illusion first) but Hedges tells it like it is and backs up his words with the facts in a way that any level of pilgrim can understand. Far far and beyond any person's criticisms and political alignments, this is important information that is crucial for our future; fantastic research, brave thesis, and impossible to ignore.

Devastating analysis.....

This book is absolutely essential listening. Having said that, one must understand that it presents a remarkably pessimistic picture of where we (the U.S.) is right now and how we came to be there. It is a picture I find myself increasingly sharing (although I wish I didn't), but one that a lot of readers (and listeners) will find just TOO bleakly devastating. This is not, in and of itself, a bad thing, since Hedges's points are very well made, and if you disagree, you'll find that having to argue against those points will probably make you smarter. Since one of Hedges's points is that one of the main problems with our "culture" is massive--and quite deliberately engendered--historical ignorance and intellectual vapidity, this can't be bad.

If you happen to be one of the enemy (and Hedges has no problem at all utilizing categories like "enemy," for sound reasons he makes very clear), you will be just too f-cking stupid to be able to get through the first twenty minutes.....

A bitter pill

This was an informative read about how we've ended up where we are right now politically, socially, economically, et al. It put facts to things I've felt over the last several years and filled out information that I was aware of, but not at this depth. It's not a warm fuzzy book, I don't agree with everything (tho' most) that he says, but if it helps wake up a few more people, I think it will have served its purpose. I wonder what Mr. Hedges' thoughts are on the Occupy Wall Street movement. I am more hopeful than he is, but damn! Makes me wonder if our grandkids will be spitting on our graves! Yup, highly recommended - just don't expect "light" listening here.

Outstanding

Chris Hedges possesses one of the most unforgiving and challenging voices of any writer I've consistently read and listened to. This is one of his finest books, as always blessedly free of BS and to the point. I'm convinced he writes with a sharpened baseball bat.

The above review by David is everything I could have hoped to say about such an insightful, heartfelt and honest book, so I'll just finish by saying... Get this. It's worth every penny/credit and then some.

Intense & sobering, I couldn't stop.

Excellent historical references and perspective. Puts so many things of I was aware into a deeper, more complete context. Well researched and devastating work.

This is the kind of writing from which philosophies are born.

Devastating

The author lays out a well-researched and lyrical polemic, exposing a tragic culture systematically betraying ideals at the core of its identity. A prophetic analysis of the Trump victory and what it portends for his brother's keeper.

A very important book for our time.

Would you consider the audio edition of Death of the Liberal Class to be better than the print version?

Hedges has outdone himself again...this is an important work in the contemporary intellectual scene.

Important for Today’s World

Mr. Hedges articulately describes the state of current politics. How the working class (both left and right) have been duped by the wealthy elite. How money, power and corruption have come to control Liberal Democracy It’s important to understand what the term Liberal is in reference to. Not small L liberal (Democrats in America/ progressives) but Liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment.

THE INEVITABLE DESTRUCTION OF A DELUSIONAL SOCIETY

An incredible transparent awakening and gone to an extreme above and beyond rational reality in a irrational downward spiral world written by Mr. Chris Hedges to try to open up the minds of the American people who for so long have been become hostage to an American culture that has become a hostile theatrical playground for the liberal class. I would recommend this book to anyone with any sense or sign of intelligence to read this genuine and truly honest not to mention to be exemplary honored who had not held back the truth, especially in an age of complete complicit conformity of censorship. The mass population are under an ideological subversion who have surrendered to the allegiance of this illegitimate amnesticized incompetent diluted government and should be held accountable to the absolute threshold without a doubt by non willing intelligent participants of resistance. Willing to defy these complacent permanent psychotic imbecile who are willing to go to any lengths to destroy whats left of this precarious country. Mr. Chris Hedges is beginning to open up a very clear pathway to a revolutionary version of what Karl Marx really wanted for Russia but did not reach there goal before the United States stuck their nose into Russia's business but beginning to open up the minds of the American people of what a true capitalistic government should be about through a new Socialistic universal government with new Egalitarian Socialistic methods. The liberal class has been replaced by Neofuedalism and are compliant with the wealthy and systematically destroying the middle class and have become useless to both the Democrat and the Republicans who's sole purpose is to facilitate, monopolize, control and disempower the American people.Mr. Chris Hedges is a remarkable and an outstanding author who is not afraid of telling the truth of our grossly injustice government run by actors impersonating politicians and the president who are not qualified to run water.

painful truths, needed perspective

waking up to painful, articulate truth, a must read for all rebels. Hedges gives us the clarity of our current problems and it's not Red vs Blue, it's power, greed, souless corporations and institutions vs human beings. Hedges gives us the vision of why this happened and what we must start to realize, a must read.